Thursday, 13 November 2014

14th Sitting of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality

At the sitting held on 13 November, the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality analysed the recent elections for national minority councils.


The sitting was attended by the Deputy Chairperson of the Republic Electoral Commission Ivan Sebek and REC Deputy Secretary Veljko Odalovic. They informed the Committee members of the course and final results of the elections for national minority councils. The REC conducted direct elections for the members of 17 national minority councils, while the elections for the members of the Croatian, Macedonian and Montenegrin national minority councils were conducted via assemblies of electors. In the course of the entire election process the REC received 40 objections, and the voting was repeated at four polling stations.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Ivan Bosnjak said that what is to follow is the establishment of all the national councils which will then schedule sessions.

The Committee members and other MPs present opined that the REC had conducted the elections for national minority councils with a high degree of professionalism. However, the Committee members drew attention to certain irregularities noted in the field in the course of the elections mainly relating to the fact that the special electoral rolls had not been updated in some polling stations and some voters did not receive notifications for the elections. They also asked about the role of the state television played in notifying the voters and calling them to turn out and vote. They also suggested that, in order to set up the national councils and better integrate minorities into society, the municipalities should establish expert task forces which would include the younger population.

At the end of the discussion, Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic said that a working group should be set up to draft a new bill so as to prevent the listed irregularities in the next elections for national minority councils.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic.


Committees related to this activity


Previous month Next month
M T W T F S S
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
tuesday, 4 november
  • 9.00 - sitting of the Committee on Spatial Planning, Transport, Infrastructure and Telecommunications (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 3)

  • 9.20 - press conference of the NEW DSS – POKS (NADA) Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)

  • 9.30 - sitting of the European Integration Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 4)

  • 9.30 - sitting of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 2)

  • 10.00 - press conference of the Ecological Uprising Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)

  • 10.00 - Second Sitting of the Second Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2025 (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 10.30 - sitting of the Foreign Affairs Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 4)

  • 12.00 - public hearing of the Culture and Information Committee on the topic: Public interview with the proposed candidates for Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media Council members (National Assembly Building, 14 Kralja Milana Street, Small Hall)

  • 15.00 - sitting of the Culture and Information Committee (National Assembly Building, 14 Kralja Milana Street, Small Hall)

  • 15.30 - the PFG with Italy, the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta meets with the Italian delegation to the Central European Initiative Parliamentary Dimension (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 3)

  • 16.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to receive the EC Report on Serbia’s Progress in 2025 (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 1)

  • 16.20 - press statements on the delivered EC Report on Serbia’s Progress in 2025 (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)

  • 17.00 - press conference of the Green-Left Front – Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)own and Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) – Party of Democratic Action of Sandzak (SDA Sandzak) – Party for Democratic Action (PDD) parliamentary groups (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)

Full event calendar